Irish Whiskey Night

Sanders County Sippers celebrated St. Patrick's Day a day late at the Mannings'.  On Thursday, March 18, 12 of us gathered to sample and learn about Irish Whiskeys.  We featured:

Jameson

Bushmills

Redbreast

Powers

They finished in this order of popularity:.

1. Redbreast (smooth and rich, long finish)
2.  Jameson (good, but not as good or expensive as Redbreast)
3.  Powers (VERY comparable to Jameson and several $$ cheaper!)
4. Bushmills (tasted like colored water compared to everything else)

As accompaniments we had corned beef on home-made biscuits, plus Irish Butter Shortbread Cookies (pictured above, in Waterford crystal, compliments of Christina Ashbaugh!  Thanks, Christina, we proudly use it all the time!!!)

We finished the evening with a classic Irish Coffee....

• Pour strong, hot coffee into mug
• Dissolve 2 tsp. cane sugar in coffee
• Add 1 oz. Jameson
• Top with frothy floating cream, gently poured over the back of a spoon.

To prepare cream, shake heavy cream just until it is barely "pourable."  Add a dash of Licor 43 (Mexican vanilla liqueor) for flavor and sweetener.  I had no Licor 43, but used Kahlua instead, and it was sensational.

I'm not a big fan of Irish whiskey, but this Irish Coffee recipe is an absolutely decadent treat at evening's end!

One downside to this spirits education we're giving ourselves:  we really, unfortunately, CAN tell the difference between the good stuff and the cheap stuff, and will never be quite satisfied with bottom-shelf again.  However, consider that a bottle of really good spirits will be sipped and savored over a year or two, rather than masked and quickly guzzled in mixed drinks.   It's worth paying $10-$15 more for a bottle of great product.  Life is short, after all...too short to waste on inferior anything!